CNN's GUT CHECK | for October 12, 2012 | 5 p.m.
– n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

BREAKING:White House clarifies Biden on Libya security... Aides to President Barack Obama on Friday attempted to clean up comments made by Vice President Joe Biden regarding security requests in Libya during Thursday night's vice presidential debate. … Those comments contradict congressional testimony by State Department officials who told the House Oversight Committee requests for security staffing in Libya were made and denied prior to the attacks in Benghazi. – Jessica Yellin

Gut Check Rewind… Vice President Biden at Thursday night’s debate: “We weren't told they wanted more security there. We did not know they wanted more security again."

- Carney defends Biden, deflects blame to State Department -PRESS SECRETARY JAY CARNEY AT THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS BRIEFING: “He was speaking directly for himself and for the president, he meant the White House. In over four hours of testimony, the testimony that you just referenced, the other day no one who testified about this matter suggested that requests for additional security were made to the president or the White House. These are issues appropriately that are handled by security professionals at the State Department. That's what he was talking about.”

- The Romney campaign seizes on the comment -MITT ROMNEY AT A CAMPAIGN EVENT IN VIRGINIA: “The vice president directly contradicted the sworn testimony of State Department officials. He’s doubling down on denial, and we need to understand exactly what happened, as opposed to have people just brush this aside.”

CNN's GUT CHECK | for October 12, 2012 | 5 p.m.
– n. a pause to assess the state, progress or condition of the political news cycle

BREAKING:White House clarifies Biden on Libya security... Aides to President Barack Obama on Friday attempted to clean up comments made by Vice President Joe Biden regarding security requests in Libya during Thursday night's vice presidential debate. … Those comments contradict congressional testimony by State Department officials who told the House Oversight Committee requests for security staffing in Libya were made and denied prior to the attacks in Benghazi. – Jessica Yellin

Gut Check Rewind… Vice President Biden at Thursday night’s debate: “We weren't told they wanted more security there. We did not know they wanted more security again."

- Carney defends Biden, deflects blame to State Department -PRESS SECRETARY JAY CARNEY AT THE WHITE HOUSE PRESS BRIEFING: “He was speaking directly for himself and for the president, he meant the White House. In over four hours of testimony, the testimony that you just referenced, the other day no one who testified about this matter suggested that requests for additional security were made to the president or the White House. These are issues appropriately that are handled by security professionals at the State Department. That's what he was talking about.”

- The Romney campaign seizes on the comment -MITT ROMNEY AT A CAMPAIGN EVENT IN VIRGINIA: “The vice president directly contradicted the sworn testimony of State Department officials. He’s doubling down on denial, and we need to understand exactly what happened, as opposed to have people just brush this aside.”

Washington (CNN) - For the week ending Sunday Mitt Romney's campaign is spending almost as much as President Obama for ads in nine key battleground states, according to data from a source tracking media buys.

This marks an increase in what the Republican nominee is investing for campaign commercials in these pivotal states.FULL POST

(CNN) – Mitt Romney's personal income taxes are the subject of the latest television spot from President Barack Obama's campaign, which claims in the spot released Friday that Romney's effective tax rate of 14% is unfair for a man worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The ad uses clips of Romney's interview on "60 Minutes" in September, when he was questioned about his own tax rate revealed when he released his 2011 tax return and information about his previous returns dating back two decades.FULL POST

(CNN) - The vice presidential debate "out-buzzed" Hollywood's biggest nights on Facebook, but wasn't nearly as popular as the presidential debate last week.

According to Facebook's "Talk Meter" analysis, Thursday's debate gained more momentum on Facebook than the 2012 Academy Awards and the MTV Video Music Awards, but when comparing it to three political events – the first presidential debate and both parties' political conventions – Thursday night's debate paled in comparison.FULL POST